NEW YORK – Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have battled for championships on the hardcourts of the Australian Open, the red clay of Roland Garros and the grass of Wimbledon.
Yet throughout their storied rivalry the two tennis giants had never met during the final Grand Slam of the year, the United States Open.
Destiny seemed poised to bring them together here for that first historic meeting in the final, but No. 3 Novak Djokovic altered history by saving two match points in the fifth set of his semifinal against No. 2 Federer, and then ousted the five-time champion with a 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 victory that left the more than 23,000 fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium shocked and awed after three hours and 44 minutes of mostly brilliant tennis.
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